Variable-speed wire spray gun



June 12, 1951 K. w. KENSHOL 2,556,193

VARIABLE-SPEED WIRE SPRAY GUN Filed Sept. 16, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 TOE/V5) K. w. KENSHOL VARIABLE June 12, 1951 -SPEED WIRE SPRAY GUN '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1949 A TTCENEY speed wire spray gun.

Patented June 12, 1951 Kenneth Kenshoj, Chicago, 111., .assignor to lyietalliginggon panyzof America, Chicago, 111.,

oi a f nrs p Application spte fi er 16, i919, semmo. 116.200

The present invention relates .to Ia .variable This is an apparatus wherein a liquifiable material in wire form isfed at a quickly changeable speed into a chamber where the material is melted, atomized and-blown out, issuing in the form of aspray of fine molten particles.

More specifically my invention is concerned withthe variable speed feed for the .wire, it being an object of my invention to provide a .feed of the character described which is sturdy, compact and dependable.

It is anotherobjectof my invention to provide a feedof the character described which .c'anib'e changed rapidly and easily and whichmaintains high uniformity at all ,ratesof speed.

It is another object. of my invention .to provide a feed of the character described which h'asflno tendency tokink, .bindor jam the .Wire.

It is another object of .myinvention to.provide a feed ofthe,characterdescribedhaving but iew and simple parts and which canzbefabricated. and assembled at a low cost.

It is another object of .myinventionto provide a feed of the characterdescribed which moves the wirein a straight line at all .speeds.

It is another object Of,mYlDVGXlfiiOILt-OJJIOYid6 a eedofthe character describedhaving.a-short span fromthewire entry to the wireexit 5011511 1 the guncanbevmade very compact.

Itis another object-of myinvention to provide a feed of the character described which can be readily disassembled .forreplacement or repair.

It is another. object. of my, invention toipr ov-ide a feed of the character described whichican be manipulated with ease and co'nii denc'e by cornparatively unskilled labor.

Otherobjects of my invention will in partybe obvious and in part willbe pointed out after. 7

My invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplifled in the device hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a wire spray gun having a variable speed wire feed constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the gun;

Fig. 3 is a rear View of the wire feed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

m eludes a conventional spray head [2 having a Fig". -5 is an enlarged sectional viewtaken sub:

stantially along the line 5-5 cf Fig. 4;" and Fig.6 is a'n enlarged sectional View taken substantially along the line B -B of Fig. 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral m denotes a metal spra'ygun 'n ibodying a variable speed wire'feed constructed accordance with my invention. Said .g'un'in nozzle l4 and a casing -I 6 w-ithinwhich isfmounte'd a standard mechanism .for liquifying the tip .of a "fusible wire and a suitable means for sub-dividing the liquifie'd tip into tiny particles which are projected from the gun. The spray head also --includes a plurality of inlets l8, "28121110122 .for admitting the usualgases, e. g., acetylene, oxygen and fair, which are employed for fusing the .tip :of the wire and spraying the same. A valve 211 controls the flow of the gases.

The gun I] has an electric motor 26 of standard desig-n' serving as a constant speed [source Lot rotary power.

plate .32. passes into the spray head .througha sleeve .42

a V Said motor drives a slow speed shaft :28 through a gear reduction 30 of any well known type. The shaft extends through ,a plate :32 carried by the housing for the gears and its tip is threaded toreceive a knurled conicalroller .34 which constitutes the driving elementfor the wire .feed ,means.

The wire .36 to be sprayedis guided into the Ifeedm'e'ansbyan entrybushing 38 sefcurelyfixed in a sideplate 4i? extending perpendicular to the The wire leaves .the ,feed means .and

which issecur'ely fixed in .a,s,econd sideplate .44

running parallel, to the plate ;4il '(seeliig. 5). The :two .plates $9, .74 5 are rigid-1y connected by a tic platafiifi which ,is perpendic arto th te 41 As and; is parallel to th t p strai ht line e ement oflthe conical .roller 34.

Thes thre p at A0 44, 46 constitute a frame F which is adapted to be mounted for movement in a direction parallel to the aforesaid element at the top of the roller 34. Thus the wire guide and spray head are rigidly interconnected for common movement.

The frame mounting means includes a U- shaped bracket 43 whose base is the plate 32 and whose legs comprise truncated, triangular plates 2,556,193 V f f tive to the roller in a direction parallel to said top straight line element.

One of the frame side plates, e. g. the plate 49 includes a slot 58 coextensive with a portion of the associated keyway 56. This slot receives a post 6i! which is integral with the underlying rib d. Said post is transversely tapped to receive a threaded rod 62 on one of whose ends is fixed a shouldered handle 64 and on whose other end is fixed a collar 65. The collar and shoulder ride on opposed edge surfaces of the side plate 4E! and thereby prevent axial shifting of the rod. Accordingly, when the rod is turned, the frame F together with the spray head and wire entry guide will be shifted parallel to the top straight line element of the conical feed roller 34. The limits of travel of the frame are determined by abutment of the post Gil against the opposite ends of the slot 58.

To force the wire against the feed roller, a pressure roller 68 is provided having an annular V-shaped wire engaging groove. Said roller is journalled at the center of a pressure lever having its rear end pivotally secured by a pin 12 to the tie plate 46. The forward end of the Dressure lever is adjustably secured to the tie plate by a shaft M, The outer end of said shaft carries a knob 76 and the inner end '18 of the shaft is threaded for reception in a tapped bore 89 formed in the tie plate. The pin i2 and axis of rotation of the roller 98 are parallel to the ribs 5%, and said roller is located directly above the top element in the conical feed roller 3:5. It will be apparent that when the knob i8 is turned in one direction, the pressure roller will move toward the top element of the feed roll and when the knob is reversed, the pressure roller-will move in the opposite direction thus enabling different sizes of wire to be accommodated.

The pressure roller is located substantially on the straight line between the bushing 38 and sleeve '32. Because of such construction, the wire 36 moves in a straight line from the entry bushing 38, past the pressure and feed rollers to the exit sleeve 42, regardless of the location of the frame relative to the feed roller. However, as the frame is shifted by turning the handle 84, the wire will be disposed at different portions of the conical feed roller so that it will be fed forwardly at different speeds, the rate of rotation of the feed roller being assumed to be constant.

It thus will be seen that I have provided a variable speed wire spray gun which achieves all the objects of my invention and is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein de- .4 scribed, or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrativ and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a variable speed wire spray gun, a stationary frame, a sprayhead having a wire intake rigidly connected thereto, a wire entry guide spaced from the wire intake, a fram connecting the sprayhead rigidly to the wire entry guide with the wire intake aligned with the wire entry guide, a shaft oriented so that a projection of its axis of rotation on an imaginary line extending between the wire intake and the wire entry guide is perpendicular to said line, a conical feed-in roller mounted to turn with said shaft, said imaginar line being tangent to the conical surface of the roller, means to mount said connecting frame on said stationary frame for movement relative thereto in a direction parallel to that straight line element of the conical feed-in roller at which the imaginary line is tangent to the conical surface of the roller, manually manipulative means to shift the connecting frame relative to the stationary frame in said direction, and means movable with the connecting frame to press a wire extending from the wire intake to the wire entry guide against said feed-in roller, said last named means constituting a concave pressure roller mounted on said connecting frame for rotation about an axis parallel to said straight line element and in a plane including said element and the axis of rotation of the shaft for the feed-in roller, the axis of rotation of the concave roller being spaced from said straight line element by a distance equal to the thickness of wire fed into the spray gun plus the radius of the ro ler.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the mounting for the pressure roller includes a lever rotatably carrying said roller, said lever being mounted on said connecting frame for r0- tation about an axis parallel to the straight line element of the feed-in roller and spaced from the plane including said straight line element and the axis of rotation of said feed-in roller.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein manuall manipulative means is provided to move the pressure lever about its axis of rotation with respect to the connecting frame.

KENNETH W. KENSHOL.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Preston Sept. 20, 1938 Number 

